Meeting, convention,
and event planners are extremely important to our society. They coordinate many
aspects of our daily lives and the things they do tend to go unnoticed. Specifically,
event planning is my plan A career. I have chosen event planning for many
reasons, but mostly because I enjoy it. My
plan B career is journalism. I had a hard time considering journalism as my
plan B because I also enjoy writing very much. I had to decide between the two soI
picked event management as my number one.
Event
planners reserve meeting locations, transportation, meet with clients, inspect
locations, reserve photographers, review bills and payment plans, and most
importantly they ensure the client’s requirements are met. The best event
planners can think of everything that must be done before the event takes
place. On a daily basis they do extensive research to meet the needs of the
organization or group holding the event.
When the event is going on, they keep their eye on
everything to make sure that it is running smoothly. The client should be able
to enjoy their event stress free. Jobs relating to event planning would include
planning weddings, parties, and other social gatherings. This work, in
particular, is very exciting to me because I love to see how happy someone can
be after their event goes off without a hitch! However, because of the
Hospitality Sales and Marketing Association International web site I learned
that this career can be extremely diverse and cover an even larger range of
jobs. Examples of these would be: hospitality, maximizing revenue, and various
leadership roles in general.
The
skills needed in this profession can be, at times, challenging to acquire. One must
be able to work long hours; beginning early in the morning and going until late
in the evening. Weekends can also be a
very busy time for event planners, however, some are self-employed. They can,
to an extent, make their own hours and pick and choose events to work on. This
can be very appealing but not always realistic. The most important skill is
organization. Being able to keep paper work, clients, and hook ups (photographers,
various locations, ect.) straight is essential for survival in this field. Judgment and decision making, active listening,
speaking, and critical thinking are very important skills.
I was excited to learn
that speaking and active listening are key points for this occupation. I believe
those things to be some of my strong suits. Reading up on my major has been
extremely encouraging and I am eager to start my journey.
For my second choice, I
have chosen journalism. During my senior year of high school I took a creative
writing class and I really got into it. So much so that I can’t stop writing
and I take special time out of my day to do so. I submitted an original narrative
to a national magazine entitled “North American Whitetail” and they paid me to
have it published in the October issue. I am very excited for it to be released!
It has been one of my dreams to have my writing published and I don’t just want
to stop there.
A typical day of an
author is very basic. The office is any place with a computer, or very simply a
note book and pen. The majority of writers work part time and out of their
homes. It is an extremely completive field.
A lot of their time is spent looking for new work. When you get your
name out there, it gets easier.
Skills you need to have are
writing (obviously), grammar, speaking, time management, and critical thinking.
Originality is probably the most important. To get noticed and succeed your
ideas have to be fresh, new, and exciting.
I learned from O Net
Online that the average published writer can make 47,230 dollars a year. That
is more than I thought which is encouraging.
My career research
really surprised me because I realized that being both an event planner and an
author (at least of some kind) is an obtainable goal. With the right time
management skills and the right opportunities, I will be successful. I am also
very hopeful that I will find these opportunities here at IUPUI. My perceptions
about these two careers have been changed in a very positive way. According to
the Occupational Outlook Handbook site there are a projected 45,000 job
openings from 2010- 2020 in event planning. After taking the time to research and comprehend what I can do with my
degree I am nothing but excited! I feel as if this is really what I want to do
and I want to work hard for it. I am so relieved and excited to have decided on
my TCEM major.
I believe that my future
career as an event planner and/or author matched up really well with my true
colors assessment. I thought that activity was really helpful and interesting. My highest number (17) corresponded to the
color gold. My second highest (15) was a close second matching up with the
color blue.
Gold is a great color
for me for many reasons. Most of, if not all, the descriptions of a gold person
were spot on. I am very organized, I like things right to the point, I complete
my work ahead of schedule, and making plans is my specialty. I am easy to get
along with and I follow the rules to a T. Routine is very important to me and anything
unexpected stresses me out. I can adapt fairly well to unexpected situations,
but that doesn’t mean I like it. As an event planner I believe these
personality traits are extremely useful. I really like traditional and
conservative ways and my beliefs and actions reflect that. I am very serious
about my relationships. I have already built a very predictable relationship
with my boyfriend, who I have been with for four years. I like to feel like I
belong and am useful to those around me. One of the things I do to reduce
conflict is create itineraries for my friends when we have specific plans. I
like to be very clear on what is taking place and communication is something very
important to me.
I
can however, see a little bit of blue in me. Having some blue traits is good
for an event planner because you need to be concerned for clients and want to
make them happy. I am a people pleaser and I get upset when someone is not
happy with the job I’ve done. I am very honest and I am not afraid to tell
someone how I feel. Listening to others is a strong quality I possess and I
apply that trait to everything I do.
I
have learned a lot about myself and what I will be doing with the skills I
learn. This next chapter in my life is going to be a good one and I cannot wait
to see what the future has in store for me!
Thank you guys for reading! your feedback is appreciated.
If you would like to do the True Colors test the link is below.
